Missing or Right Under Your Nose?
by WeskerIsBadassInc
Summary: What if Ed didn't get a chance to tell Al that his memories weren't fake? A new character comes into play to guide Al after Ed goes missing. Who is this strange Lin? Facts from the manga and the anime, but mostly the anime. I'm rating it T just to be safe
1. Chapter 1: Fake Memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I own this fanfic (duh) and the character of Lin. Lin appeared in the Anime, but he didn't have a character. Also a character named Lin appeared in the Manga, but I'm telling ou right now that they are NOT THE SAME CHARACTER!!!**

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: MISSING OR RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE

Chapter 1: Fake Memories

"Al…" Ed sat down finally, after having to be restrained by Winry from jumping off the roof after his brother. Ed turned to Winry. "We have to go find him."

"What?! It's pouring rain right now! Besides, you guys have gotten into fights before. I'm sure he'll come back soo-

"No! We have to find him now! I've gotta set him straight! He thinks all of his memories are fake! Didn't you here him?!" Ed said to Winry, cutting her off. He would have yelled, but he didn't have the strength to at that moment. Plus he was kind of preoccupied with Al.

Winry looked down at the ground. "Ed? What were you too afraid to tell him?" Ed looked away.

"I need to ask him something, but I'm too afraid of what the answer will be…" Winry's expression softened.

"Sometimes you've got to ask the question to know what the answer will be. You can't just wait and hope it springs up."

"Yeah… well, let's go!" Ed said as he stood up with a determined look on his face. "We've got to find Al before he gets himself into trouble! Tch! He's hopeless without me." Winry laughed to herself. She could see right through the tough guy act. Ed was worried out of his wits.  


* * *

A little ways away Al walked down a darkened alleyway. _Brother, why didn't you say something?_ He wondered to himself miserably. Were his memories really fake?

* * *

On a building looking down at the suit of armor sat a man. A tall woman was next to him. "Heh, this is going to be easier than we thought. Armor-boy's gone and done all the work for us practically."

"Remember, stick to the plan," said the woman. "We don't want Fullmetal getting away. And we can't let Alphonse find out. You have to act to the best of your abilities."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. No toying around with them_ too _much. But even so, this will be fun!"

* * *

Al was walking and thinking when he saw a familiar red coat. He looked up and saw Ed staring at him. "What are you doing here?"

"What? Don't I get a hello? I mean, I am your big brother." Ed said grinning. Al was completely taken aback.

"Don't try and act like that never happened. This time I'm waiting for an answer. Did you make all of my memories up?! Am I a fake?!" Al cried. He was hoping that his big brother would tell him of course not. Then he would come up with a reason of why he was missing parts in his memory. And he would be telling the truth. Alphonse hoped. Instead the answer his brother gave him completely took him aback.

"Of course they are! I thought you had already figured that out! I guess not having a brain does affect you." Ed chuckled. Al stood in shock. "I just created you so that I wouldn't have to do all the dirty work. But now that you've figured that out, you're really not that much use to me. I can leave you here in the dumpster like the tin can that you are."

Al's mind couldn't comprehend what was happening. His brother would never say things like that. Was it all really an act like Barry had told him? Al tried to keep himself from sobbing. He tried to look like his feelings weren't hurt. "This is a really horrible joke brother!"

"It's not a joke." Ed said seriously. The smirk was gone from his face. In an instant it was back on though. "Just needed to clear that up so you wouldn't get to close to me in the future. I don't want to be seen with trash like you."

Al couldn't hold it in any more. "You're lying brother!!!" And with that, he ran away from his "brother." _It's not true! He's lying! He has to be!  
_

* * *

Ed opened one eye. Where was he? Oh yeah… He was looking for Al with Winry when he heard her scream. He turned around but too late. Lights out. "Winry?" He saw her hunched up form in a corner of the room. "Winry!" He tried to get up but then noticed that his arms weren't moving. _What?_ He then saw that his hands were tied behind his back.

Ed heard a groan from where Winry was lying. It didn't look like she'd be up for a while. Ed took this chance to take in his surroundings. He was in a dull room with a barred door and a dirty window. _Am I in prison?_ He thought to himself. _But I haven't done anything wrong…lately._

"Ugh…Ouch…"

"Winry!"

"Huh? Ed? What's going on? Where are we?" Winry asked groggily.

"Beats me. Looks like a prison. Hey…wait a minute…" Ed had just noticed something.

"What?"

"No…It can't be…"

"You guessed right Fullmetal." A tall black haired woman entered the room through the barred door followed by a fat bald man with soulless eyes.

Ed said one hateful word through clenched teeth: "Lust!"

**OMG!!! How will the story turn out? You'll just have to wait and see! HAHAHA!!! Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this! I've been wanting to write this down for a while. PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS!!! Next Chapter: Brother's Love and Hate. Ooooooh!!! (Scary Ghost Sound X3)**


	2. Chapter 2: Brother's Love and Hate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. All I own are the character of Lin and this fanfic.**

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: MISSING OR RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE

Chapter 2: Brother's Love and Hate

"Lust!"

"Please you say my name as if it were a sin. Oh wait, it is a sin." Lust teased.

"Lust, please let me eat them?!" The fat man said in a high pitched voice.

"No, Gluttony. We need them. They're the only ones that can make a philosopher stone for us." Lust looked down and noticed Winry. "Although I don't see any real use for her..."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Ed yelled. Lust simply smirked.

"Don't worry, Fullmetal. We wouldn't dream of hurting her..." she said sarcastically.

"You guys are insane if you think I'm going to make a philosopher stone for you! I'd never sacrifice lives for your gain!" Ed had overlooked a fact though.

"I think that you'll find that you will make a stone for us. You see, we are in the advantage seeing as you can't use your arms. Also we have you're friend here hostage..." Lust's fingers immediately stretched out into long claws, pinning Winry to a wall.

"Winry!"

Lust grinned. "If you want to keep her safe, then I guess you have no choice but to do what we want." she sneered.

Ed was growled at her, but then noticed something rather odd. "Where's Envy? You guys are always in a group, but I don't see him anywhere."

Lust's grin widened. "Envy's out on a mission."

"If you guys think you can keep Winry and I holed up like this doing whatever you want, then you've underestimated us! I'll create a way out if I have to!" Already in Ed's mind, the gears were turning as he calculated plans for an escape.

"Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about that." Lust said. Ed was furious. He hated being kept in the dark.

"And why's that?" He said, trying to keep his voice under control. He was still very aware of Winry pinned up against the wall.

"Look outside, Edward. Who do you see? Lust said, smirking. Ed's curiosity got the better of him, and he looked. There, in an alleyway stood Alphonse. "Al!" But then, he noticed something strange. Standing in front of Al was... himself? Wait...but that didn't make any sense... Then the gears in his head shifted into place. "No...you didn't..."

"Ed, what? What's wrong?" Winry worried.

"You guessed right, Fullmetal. I told you Envy had a mission. Don't you think he plays you well?" Lust smiled evilly.

"It won't work! Alphonse will see right through Envy's disguise!" Ed yelled. Why wouldn't Al see through the deception? Anyone could see that Envy was a horrible actor. Right?

"Well, apparantly it has worked. Look at your brother." Lust said, looking out of the grimy window.

Ed's gaze turned to see his yonger brother running away from Envy/Ed, who was grinning sadistically, choking on sobs. "You're lying brother! I-I hate you!"

"It seems your brother can't see through Envy, afterall. Would you like to speak to Envy yourself? He's coming now." Lust said as Envy/Ed shifted his gaze to the real Edward's head in the window. His grin widened even more. He then started walking towards the "house" casually. Ed didn't see though. Had he just heard what he thought he'd heard? Did Alphonse really think that Ed would act like that to him? Did he really hate his big brother?

His trance was interrupted by a door slamming. He shouted out the window. "AL!!! AL!!! IT'S NOT TRUE!!!"

Envy, the real one walked over to him. "You know he can't hear you. This place is a one-way soundproof building. You can hear him, but he can't hear you."

Ed ignored him. "AL!!! THAT WASN'T ME!!!

Now Envy started getting annoyed. "Shut up, you Fullmetal pipsqueak! I already told you, he can't hear y-"

"AL!!!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!" Envy lost his temper and kneed Ed in the stomach.

"Geh!!" Ed gasped. His vision started going black. "...Al..." Then he passed out.

"ED!!!" Winry screamed. Then she turned her attention to the homunculi. "Why did you do that?! HE'S JUST WORRIED ABOUT HIS LITTLE BROTHER!!! She started crying. She felt so helpless, pinned up to a wall.

"She's right Envy. He won't be able to make the philosopher stone for us if he's unconscious." Lust wasn't grinning anymore.

"So what? He was getting on my nerves. He's such a weak little insect. It makes me sick." Envy said, looking in disgust at the passed out alchemist.

"Envy, you need to control your temper. You'll end up killing the boy." Lust scolded.

"Whatever." Envy was getting tired of this conversation. Then he looked at Winry. She whimpered. "What are we going to do with her?"

Lust sighed. "Well, seeing as I can't hold my arm up forever, we'll just have to find her a different room. I'll move her. You can stay her until the boy wakes up. He'll think she's dead when he doesn't see her here. I'll leave it to you to tell him what happened."

"Fine. Whatever. Just don't blame me if he end's up with his lights out again."

"Envy!

"Alright! Fine!"

Suddenly, they heard a whimper from Winry. Gluttony was about to take a bite out of her arm.

"Gluttony! No! You can't eat that!" Lust said sternly. Gluttony winced.

"Sorry Lust. I'm just so hungry though!" His stomach growled.

"We'll find you something to eat soon enough. Now come on. Out!" Lust and Gluttony left carrying Winry.

"Ed! ED! WAKE UP!! ED!!!"

"Are you sure I can't eat her?" Glutony asked again.

Lust scowled. "Maybe if she keeps yelling." she said threateningly, more to Winry than to her partner. Winry fearfully choked down her sobs.

* * *

Outside sat a certain suit of armor. _Brother was lying...he had to be...Brother would never say mean things like that... _Al thought back to the moment when Ed was talking to him telling him that his memories were, indeed, fake. Had he been lying? Al couldn't tell. Did he really think that he was lower than dirt? Al suppressed a sob. Ed hadn't thought he was lower than dirt. No one would look at dirt with that much hate in their eyes.

Little did Al know, however, that it wasn't his brother who had the hate filled eyes.

**Phew. That was a longer chapter than usual. I'm sorry about how before I changed chapter 1 I said that the next chapter would be called "Lin" One chapter will be called Lin, maybe even the next one, but I can't be sure right now. I'll update as soon as I know more. Thank you so much to people who have added my story to their story alert list!! It makes me feel appreciated X3 Please R&R!**

**I'll have the next chapter uploaded soon!**


	3. Chapter 3: Edward's Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. All I own are the character of Lin and this fanfic.**

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: MISSING OR RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE

Chapter 3: "Edward's" Death

The Fullmetal Alchemist woke up back in the dull room. Two things were different this time, though. Number one, Envy was there. Number two, Winry was not.

"Aww man... I was hoping I had actually killed you. Too bad." Envy teased.

"Envy! What have you done to Winry! What can you possibly hope to accomplish by taking Al away from me?!" Ed still remembered his brother's words. _I hate you..._

"First things first. Your friend, unfortunately, is probably fine, presuming she didn't annoy Lust and Gluttony too much. And as for the second question, it's part of our plan. If you think about it, even if you do escape, what would you do? Your brother hates you, so you can't exactly stay with him, can you?" Envy had to keep himself from laughing out loud.

_Of course,_ thought Ed. _Why didn't I see it before? Al and I walked right into their trap. Dammit..._

"Oh, but don't worry. That's not all. "'You,' meaning me of course, killed an Ishbalan child while Scar was watching! Perfect right? Also Pride and Sloth are going to make sure that you're wanted by the military for trying to follow Tucker's example and making a human chimera out of Flamey."

"Flamey? I don't know anyone called Flamey."

"He's known to most people as Colonel Mustang."

"What?!" Ed gasped.

"Too bad he got away. Anyways, now he thinks you're evil too, so you can't go to him for help. That girl with the gun that's always protecting him has vowed to put a bullet in your head if she ever saw you again. Isn't it wonderful? There are no flaws! Even if you just flat-out refuse to cooperate, we have your girlfriend locked up, ready to be eaten by Gluttony." Envy started laughing.

"She's not my girlfriend..." Edward said absent-mindedly. He was mulling over the information he had just heard. Winry was a hostage. Al hated him. Scar had sworn vengeance. Colonel Mustang thought that he had been consumed by power. Riza Hawkeye had vowed to kill him. His situation didn't look good. _Wait a minute... _"How much influence do Pride and Sloth have in he military?"

Envy stopped laughing and looked down at the Fullmetal Alchemist with an annoyed expression on. "Are you still thinking of escaping? You really are a pathetic little human." He heard Ed mumble, "Don't call me little..." Envy glared at him. "For your information, Pride is Furor King Bradley-" Ed gasped. "-and Sloth is his secretary..." Envy thought about telling the Alchemist that she also had the form of his mother, but decided that he had spilled enough information already. _Maybe Master's right. I do need to learn to hold my tongue._ He thought bitterly. "Well, anyways, that about covers it. I'll go let Lust know that you're awake. In the meantime, better get prepared! We want that stone soon."

Envy walked out of the room, leaving a glaring Ed behind him.

* * *

Al walked the streets, still hurting inside. "How can this much pain come from a heart I don't even have?" He suppressed another sob. "Brother had to be lying." Al would find his "brother" and thoroughly ask him questions. He wouldn't run away this time. He would hear Ed's answers out.

* * *

You would think that after hearing all of the details of a plan like the homunculi's, you would lose all hope and become a slave knowing that there would be no future. In the Fullmetal Alchemist's case, he hated losing. So, naturaly, he never gave up.

Edward worked over the details of the plan over and over again, starting to form the beginnings of his plan to escape. Every time he got close to a conclusion, however, one of the details would spring up and block him. It was maddening. But then again, Ed wasn't partial to going crazy either.

All of a sudden, it clicked. A perfect solution to a flawless plan. Well, almost perfect. A few people might get hurt, both emotionally and physically. But compared to being used as ingredients for the philosopher stone, that was nothing. He couldn't tell anyone his plan, not even Al or Winry. They would just have to play along.

* * *

Envy walked in on Edward to catch him thinking deep in thought. Envy sighed. _This kid... Doesn't he know when he's beat? _Ed twitched at the sound of Envy walking in. "I just thought that you might want to know that we're going to postpone the stone making. A little matter has sprung up. I suppose I'll have to hammer the message home in your brother." Envy said with distaste.

"You mean... he still thinks that his brother doesn't hate him? He still believes that he isn't a fake?" Hope was beginning to show in the alchemist's eyes.

"Not for long so don't get your hopes up!" Envy hated seeing that he had underestimated humans. Well, really, he just hated being wrong in general. "Now you'd better shut your trap until I get back!" With that he stormed off, flushed with rage.

* * *

Winry looked at the ground. She was such a burden for Ed and Al. Why couldn't she do something useful? Why did all the decisions she made have to be wrong? Winry thought about all of these things as she sat in her cell. _Maybe I should have let Ed go after Al when he had the chance... No, then they would have captured Ed anyway and then would come after you. It would be the same scenario only earlier. They might have even killed Al. You did everything you could... Why isn't everything I can do never enough then?... Because you're only human... Yeah, but what if- _Her thoughts continued like this for about a half an hour.

She was interrupted by angry yelling from the cell to her left. She couldn't make out the words though, the wall separating the cells was too thick. She then noticed strange contraptions placed at all four corners of the room. _Security cameras? No.... _She let out a small gasp of realization. _Alchemy sensors! _Winry stared at them longingly. _Oh man... I wish I had my wrench so I could take them apart and look at them...wait a minute...I'm pinned up to a wall with chains. I couldn't use my wrench even if I had it... Now a chainsaw... that I could really go for..._

She was startled by a loud sound right outside of her cell door, soon accompanied by a foot shaped dent in her wall. With another BANG the door flew across the room landing at her feet. Envy stood there looking extremely agitated.

"IF I HEAR SO MUCH AS A PEEP OUT OF YOU YOU'RE DEAD WHETHER MASTER LIKES IT OR NOT!!!" Then he left, not even bothering to pick up the door. Winry sat there in shocked silence.

"Winry?" She heard Ed shout through the bars of his cell as Envy's temperamental stomps receded away.

"Ed! Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop them from taking me away! Can you forgi-"

"Nevermind about that now Winry!" Winry was startled at the urgency in his voice. She thought he had just wanted to talk. Apparently not.

"Winry, do you think you could distract Lust and Gluttony?" Winry was completely baffled.

"How? Why?"

"Because I have a plan for escaping and not getting caught again. Just trust me alright?" The idea of getting out of here got Winry's attention big time.

"Alright, but how?" She asked.

"I don't know! Use your imagination! Just make sure you get them to go outside, alright?" Now Winry knew he had a plan. She just hoped it was sane. Ed had a reputation for crazy ideas that could get himself killed. Without Al there, Ed would have blown up the world already. _Make the right decision this time!_ She told herself.

"Okay Ed." "OH MY GOD!!!!!!" She screamed as loud as she could. Just as planned, Lust and Gluttony ran to her cell immediately.

Lust took one look at the door and narrowed her eyes. "Who did this?!"

"Envy." Winry answered truthfully.

Lust looked back to the foot shaped indent. "That explains that. Why were you yelling?"

"I just saw..." _Oh no! Mind, don't blank out on me now! Think! come on... someone that the homunculi would know... doing something they shouldn't... You've heard Ed and Al say their names... Think!_

_"_Saw what?!" Lust was getting impatient and anxious.

Winry's mind wouldn't work. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. Unfortunately, her mind was not at home at the moment.

"I just saw Greed out the window wearing a polka-dot bikini!" _Great. Of all the unbelievable stories..._ She was doomed and she knew it.

"Greed. Wearing a bikini. If you're going to lie at least make it something believable." Gluttony didn't know the difference between truth and lies, however, and his enormous jaw had dropped to the floor in astonishment. Winry would have laughed if she hadn't been so scared.

"Really, now. You expect us to believe that greed is just walking around in central weARING A BIKINI?!" Greed had just pranced across the window wearing a bikini. Gluttony wasn't the only one whose jaw was on the floor now. Lust, Gluttony, and Winry had all managed to get their mouths open that wide.

"GLUTTONY WE'VE GOT TO STOP HIM!!! HE MUST HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN HIMSELF DRUNK!!!" Lust and Gluttony didn't bother with a door. They crashed right through the window chasing after Greed.

"Not your best idea Winry, but at least it worked." Ed had gotten into her room somehow.

"ED!!! DID YOU JUST SEE-"

"Yes I saw! Now keep your voice down. I created a robot to look like Greed. I couldn't hear much through the wall, but I got a snatch of you saying Greed wearing a polka-dot bikini. You could have thought of something better." Ed said. He looked annoyed.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly." Winry would have the picture of Greed parading through Central in nothing but a bikini engraved in her memory forever.

"Come on Winry! We've got to hurry and get out of here!" Ed dragged her through the broken window. She got slightly cut on the cheek, making her bleed. She breathed in sharply, but did not dare to do more than that. When they were finally out Ed turned to her.

"Winry, listen to me. I don't want you to protest or anything. Go find Al. I've got something to do first. I probably won't see you for a while. Maybe not even ever again. I just need you to make sure that Al's safe. Can you do that for me?"

"Edward, what are you talking about? We're going back togeth-" Ed cut her off.

"Winry! Just do what I say. If I stay, you'll just get captured again. Then we'll be back where we started only with tighter security and a lot more pain. Just do this for me. Please..." Ed had a pleading look in his eyes; not quite the puppy dog look, but something you couldn't say no to. He hadn't even meant to look like that. He just needed Winry to understand.

"Ed...Alright...I'll...miss you..." She broke down into tears and hugged Edward. He was shocked at first and blushed, but then he returned the hug. She wasn't going to see him for a long time, after all...

Then, he got up and left. Before he went, he said,"Tell Al I'm still trying to regain our bodies. It'll take a lot more than a few homunculi to stop me." Then he left.

* * *

Al couldn't believe what he was hearing. His brother was ticked off at him and was calling him trash and the sort. He said that Al was nothing more than a tinker-toy he made Winry. He said all sorts of things. Al wasn't sad this time though. Edward had made him angry.

"BROTHER SHUT UP!!!" He yelled as he swung his fist at his brother's head. Ed dodged it with ease. _What? I don't remember him being that good fighting... Whatever... _Al was interrupted in his brawl, though.

A flame erupted almost engulfing the Fullmetal Alchemist in it's fiery tongues. He leapt away from it, singing his coat. "What the hell?" He shouted. There stood the usually good-tempered Roy Mustang. He wasn't good-tempered this morning though.

"Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, I herby arrest you on charges of murdering an innocent child, and attempting to make a human chimera using an innocent human's life. Please come with me quietly."

"Ha! Innocent! That's a laugh! If you get anywhere near me you'll be dead faster than you can say homu- WOAH!!!" Riza Hawkeye had just appeared out of nowhere shooting at Edward.

"Stay back! He's mine!" Scar shouted as he leapt off of roof with his right arm outstretched. "YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SINS!!!"

_Dammit!_ Thought Envy/Ed. _Our plans backfired a little. Whatever. I guess I have no choice but to run._ As Envy/Ed scrambled for an escape, Riza started firing bullets at him. One bullet even bounced off the back off his left leg.

_Dammit! _Thought Riza as she reloaded. _Forgot about that thing. I'll have to aim better._

Several things happened at once.

Envy/Ed tripped because of the force of the bullet.

Riza saw her chance and aimed carefully but hastelly.

Roy rose his fingers to snap.

Scar jumped towards Edward.

At almost the same time, Al slapped the gun from Riza's hands, sending it flying into a dumpster.

Riza bumped into Roy because of Al, disrupting his flame attack.

Winry finally showed up.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" She screamed as she pushed Scar off course, sending him sprawling on the ground. "IT'S NOT HIS FAULT!!!

_Heh,heh, she thinks I'm the Fullmetal Runt. _Envy/Ed thought as he tried to stand back up.

Despite all of the attempts to protect Ed, and although everyone was disarmed, a gunshot rang out through Central. Al could only watch as a bullet hole appeared in his brother's forehead. But all Al saw was Ed falling to the ground as if in slow motion.

A second shot rang out and hit Envy/Ed right in the chest. Right where his heart should have been. Right into his philosopher stone.

**Dun dun dunnnnn!!! And I thought the last chapter was long. This is over twice as long as any of the others! Golly gee! I hoped you liked it. By the way PLEASE R & R!!! I am so grateful to the people who've given me reviews so far. I thank you with all my heart! (Especially the people who've given me good reviews lol ;P) I'll try to get the next chapter out before Thanksgiving, and maybe even before the end of the week, but no promises. See ya! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Mysterious Alchemist

**Disclaimer: I don't own fma. All I own are this fanfic and Lin.**

**ATTENTION!!!: YOU MUST READ THIS WHOLE CHAPTER!!! IF YOU READ ONLY THE FIRST LITTLE BIT AND THEN SAY, "NOOOOO!!! THIS IS TOO DEPRESSING!!!" THEN YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN LATER CHAPTERS!!! PLEASE READ CHAPTER TO THE END!!!**

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: MISSING OR RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE

Chapter 4: Mysterious Alchemist

Envy was dying. He knew it, even though he couldn't quite believe it. He had heard the sickening crack of his philosopher stone dividing in half. He only slightly registered pain as his back hit the streets of Central. He had a fleeting glimpse of his attacker before everything started going black.

_No...I...can't die...Envy can't die!...not yet...I still...have to kill...that bastard..._ Then his vision failed and he drifted into unconsiousness.

* * *

Al couldn't quite believe what he'd just seen. Was his brother...dead? He looked over to the man who had fired the shots.

The man was holding a still-smoking gun in one hand, something that looked like a crossbow mixed with a harpoon in the other. He was standing right where "Ed" had been about to run.

"Brother?" Everyone was as surprised as Alphonse to see the Fullmetal Alchemist dead. Even though they had been trying to kill him, they just sat in a shocked trance staring at his motionless form. Even Scar was surprised and upset. He had been robbed of his vengeance.

"EDWARD!!!" Winry's scream woke everyone out of their trance. Colonel Mustang turned to face the stranger. He took in his appearance.

It was odd. He looked familiar somehow, but Roy didn't know from where. He had black hair hanging slightly in front of his eyes, and locks of hair beside his face, like Ed. He wore a grey over coat and small black sunglasses that only slightly covered his light brown eyes. He also wore a wide hat and white gloves. He was tall, about two feet taller Edward was. Roy would've guessed that he was in his twenties or thirties.

"Do you realize that you just murdered and assaulted a military personnel? That's a very serious crime." Even though Mustang didn't show it, a rage was boiling up inside of him. He and the Lieutenant hadn't been trying to kill the state alchemist, just subdue him, so that he would come with them for questioning. He had liked the kid, and hated to see him die.

"That is no member of the military." said the stranger in a deep, low voice.

Riza held up her gun at him. "You are under arrest for attacking and killing without a warrant! Furthermore that child that you just murdered was a state alchemist!"

"I have a warrant, and that was not a state alchemist, nor even a child." The stranger said with an expressionless face.

"You...You killed him...YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!!!" Al screamed. He had forgotten all of the bad things his brother had said to him. He could only remember the good times. The times that he would never see again.

"WHAT DID HE DO?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM?!" Winry joined in. She had failed again. She had failed to protect him.

The stranger shifted his soft brown eyes on Alphonse. "It's important for you to know that that thing was not your brother," Al stepped back in astonishment. That was definitely not the answer he had been expecting. "And as to what he did, well, he's guilty of many things including the impersonation of a Mr. Edward Elric."

* * *

Lust was startled to hear this. _How did he know? Was he somehow spying on us?_ She and Gluttony had come running to the place where she had heard the commotion to find Envy lying on the ground in Fullmetal's body leaking blood. _Who is this guy?_

"Gluttony, go cause an uproar in the northern end of Central. Make sure it's loud enough for these people to hear. Include many innocent bystanders so that they'll have no choice but to rescue them." Lust whipered. Gluttony nodded and was off. A few minutes later, a large commotion was heard to the north, but not before Lust had time to here the man say, "Your 'brother' was really the homunculus, Envy."

* * *

"What?!" Al gasped. That wasn't possoble!...but wait... Ed had been acting out of character recently. Did that mean he wasn't dead?

"You mean to say that I risked my life for that thing?!" Winry shouted. She had no trouble believing that was the truth.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Roy said.

"Yes. In fact, Mr. Elric isn't even in Central at the moment."

"Well that would make sense. I had a hard time believing that someone as strong as that kid would've gone crazy with power..." Roy recalled the look in "Edward's" eyes when he was trying to make a chimera out of him. Riza was relieved. She was glad that the boy was really okay after all. Al looked like he could faint, if armor could faint. As for Scar, he was confused and angry about all of this. He still had had his vengeance stolen from him.

"Can you prove that it's not Edward Elric who killed that child?"

The stranger was about to answer the question when everyone heard loud screams and chaos from the northern part of Central.

"What in the world..." Roy started to say, but was interrupted when a little girl ran screaming down the street. "Little girl! What's going on up there?!"

"Th-there's a b-big monster over there! It-it ate kittyyyyy!" she wailed. Riza took the job of comforting her. The black-haired stranger's eyes narrowed. "That sounds like..." but before he could finish his sentence, Gluttony jumped towards him with his mouth opened wide.

"Yummy!" Gluttony cried joyfully. He was about to fall straight on the stranger, when the man leapt nimbly to the side. He aimed his gun and fired with expertise matched only by Lieutenant Hawkeye. Gluttony was only protected because the man tripped over a fallen piece of rubble, causing him to stagger.

He then whipped around at Lust, whom nobody had noticed was putting Envy on her back to take him away, and fired rapidly. _How can he be so fast...who is this guy??? _It was all she could do to sprint away as fast as she could, hoping that Gluttony would follow and that man wouldn't. The stranger was able to shoot her in the leg as she ran. He stood looking after the two homunculi with hatred in his eyes.

"Is that proof enough?" he said to Scar in response to his earlier question.

"Who...who the heck are you?" the Colonel demanded. He wasn't the only one who wanted to know. Everyone was looking at the stranger with amazement and curiosity.

"My name...is Lin. The Portal Alchemist."

* * *

Envy had turned back into his normal form, and was being painfully healed to the best knowledge of his Master.

"Who-who d-did this t-to me...?" Envy stuttered. Each breath felt as if a knife was being jabbed into his chest. Lust limped over. For some reason her wounds hadn't rejuvenated.

"I heard he said his name was Lin..." she breathed as she sank into a chair. Gluttony hovered anxiously around her, making sure she was alright.

Envy glared up at the ceiling. "Lin...I won't forget your name... You will pay for this pain if I have to go to the other world to find you! I will not let you escape again!!!"

* * *

**Yay! Envy was spared! I'm so glad that Lin finally made an appearance! I've been trying to find a way to get him in for a while now. Originally, I thought that I would get him in somewhere in the second chapter. Imagine that! The next couple of chapters may take a while to get out as I am running out of ideas. :'( Please Review!!! When I get reviews (particularly good ones ^.^) it makes me as happy as Ed would be if he was told he was tall. :3**

**Also, because I feel like it, EXTRA!!! :)**

**Scar: Portal Alchemist? You mean you're a state alchemist? \: .**

**Lin: Duh, doofus.**

**Scar: WHO ARE YOU CALLING DOOFUS! YOU'RE A STATE ALCHEMIST!**

**Lin: T.T Yes, that's what I just said like five seconds ago.**

**Scar: THEN I MUST KILL YOU!**

**Lin: GO AHEAD AND TRY DOOFUS!**

**Scar: STOP CALLING ME THAT, YOU JERK!**

**Lin: DOOOOOFUUUUSSSS!!!**

**Scar: JERK!!!**

**Izumi pops out of nowhere and bashes their heads together.**

**Scar: /; ( Ugh...**

**Lin: _ Oww!**

**Izumi: Stop bickering right now!**

**Scar and Lin: O.O Yes ma-am!**


	5. Chapter 5: Departure

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I only own Lin and is crossbow thingymajig. That's about it. Oh! And this ****fanfic (obviously).**

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: MISSING OR RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE?

Chapter 5: Departure

Central had been cleaned up. Apparently Gluttony didn't have much of an appetite that day. At least not for stone walls.

Al was helping Lin clean up using alchemy. Then, he noticed something strange about the way Lin drew his transmutation circles. "Your circles look exactly like my brother's..."

Lin kept cleaning up, not taking his eyes off of what he was doing. "That so."

"Yeah... did you know him? My brother, I mean."

"Alphonse, that circle is just a basic design. Lots of alchemists use it." Al was startled. How did this stranger know his name? Come to think of it, he had known a lot of things about him and his brother.

"Ummm... Are you psychic?"

"Um, no. I'm not."

"Then how did you know all of that stuff about me and Brother, and Envy impersonating Brother! There's no way you could possibly know all of that without being psychic!"

Lin sighed. "Obviously there is, because I'm not psychic." Lin said in a bored tone. He looked at Al dully. "Forget it. Believe what you want to believe."

Alphonse was getting sick of this one-sided argument, and decided to leave the rest to Lin.

* * *

Meanwhile, Roy breathed a sigh of relief. "So, the little guy wasn't corrupt after all. That's good. Well, it's impossible to be rotten when you're so short after all! Ha ha..." Roy looked at the emptiness around him. "Oops. I forgot that short jokes about Ed were no fun when he wasn't around..." For some reason, he felt as if he had an empty gaping hole inside of him. "Oh... I forgot to ask Lin... where's Ed if he's not here...?"

* * *

Lt. Hawkeye sat with Winry waiting for everyone to come back together. Hawkeye looked at the younger girl. There had been something nagging at her. "Winry... what did you mean when you told Scar that it wasn't Edward's fault?"

"Oh, that. Well, I guess Ed wouldn't mind too much if I told you... although it might hurt his pride... but you guys have a right to know!... right...?" The girl seemed to be having an inner argument with herself. Riza coughed slightly to get Winry's attention again. "Huh? Oh yeah. Well, we were looking for Al when..." Winry told Riza everything that had happened since Al had ran away. She excluded the part with Greed and when Ed had told her that he wouldn't be seeing her again. She had a feeling that Ed didn't want anyone else to know what he had said. Which was no problem for Winry. She kind of wanted to keep it to herself as well.

"Ah... I see... you kids have been through a lot for your age. I'm sorry for any trouble we caused. By the way, how did you escape?"

"Uh..." Winry started sweating. "Ummm... Let's just say... we had some help from a drunk homunculus." Riza's eyebrows shot straight up.

"Drunk?"

"Uh... well... kinda... that's what Gluttony and Lust said he was...heh, heh..." she said truthfully.

"I didn't know they could get themselves drunk. Well, I guess that's another weapon for our artillery. I inform the Colonel that he needs to get lots of beer next time he goes grocery shopping!" Winry and Riza giggled.

* * *

A few hours later everyone was back where they started.

The Flame Alchemist took this opportunity to ask Lin the question that was burning inside of him. "Lin, can you tell me what happened to the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"He's gone." Lin said simply.

"What do you mean gone?!" Al and Winry said in unison.

"I mean he's not here anymore. He left. And you won't find him anywhere in this world, so i wouldn't recommend a search party."

"What do you mean 'in this world'?" Al gasped. "You don't mean-"

"Yes. He might be on the other side of the gate right now. I'd say that there's a very good chance that he is."

"What are you talking about?! Brother wouldn't just abandon me like that!!!"

"Of course he wouldn't, you dunce!" Alphonse was completely taken aback. "He's trying to find a cure for your bodies over there!"

"Oh... so thats what he was doing... of course... the homunculi wouldn't be able to get him when he's over there." Winry thought about what Edward had said right before he left. "That makes sense."

Everyone was staring at her, and so she retold the tale again, this time including what Ed had said to her before he had left. She still left out the part about Greed though. No need for more people to be mentally scarred.

Al looked at the ground in shame. How could he not have seen through the homunculi's plans? He had just been a burden for his big brother.

Lin stared at each of the people scrutinizingly, making them all uncomfortable. _Doesn't this guy have any shame? _thought Winry to herself. The only thing filling the silence was the steady dripping of water. Roy broke the ice. "What are you going to do now?"

"Me? I'm going to find... something... I need it to complete a task." Lin hesitated. Then he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Alphonse cried. There was a question that had been bugging him. "Lin... why do they call you the Portal Alchemist?"

Lin stopped. "...You'll see. I'm certain I'll see you again. You can find out then."

* * *

The End (Just kidding!!!^.^)

"YOU IDIOT!!!" Envy roared at the top of his lungs.

"You lousy excuse for a homunculus!" Lust joined in.

"It's not my fault! You should have warned me about him sooner!" Furor King Bradley (a.k.a. Pride) yelled guiltily. After all, his pride didn't allow him to admit that he was wrong.

"Now, now," a person stepped from the shadows. "Is that any way to treat my greatest masterpiece?"

"Master, do you know what Pride did?!" Lust said angrily.

"HE ALLOWED THAT BASTARD LIN TO BECOME A STATE ALCHEMIST!!!" Envy almost sobbed.

"What? Pride, explain yourself."

"Listen! The exams were today and he showed promise! No one warned me that I was to look out for him!"

"WELL THAT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT!!!" Envy yelled.

"Envy, please. You're hurting my ears. Pride... good job." The person in the shadows said. The response was immediate.

"Huh?"

"Wha...?"

"WHAT?!?!?!"

"Owwie!" Gluttony whimpered, clutching his ears.

"WHA-" Envy remembered his manners, "What do you mean good job?!"

"I meant exactly what I said. Sloth tells me that Lin's looking for something. If that's the philosopher stone, than this could become very interesting." The shadowy figure giggled.

* * *

**Yes! Very interesting indeed. Forgive me for any spelling mistakes. I'm writing this at midnight. Yeah, I'm almost completely out of ideas, so the next chapter may take a while. Also, I'm trying to prove to my parents that I'm responsible to get a dog (Even though I'm staying up till midnight lol) Originally I wasn't going to put the homunculi in this chapter, but I realized I needed to explain a few things to make sure future chapters would make sense. Anyways, REVIEW!!! (Please.) Hope you enjoyed.**

**P.S. I'm writing this with my gecko on top of my computer so if anything doesn't make sense, blame the gecko. ^.^**


End file.
